Immunic acquires 4SC’s immunology portfolio

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Immunic acquires two promising drug development programs with validated targets known to be relevant in various immune and autoimmune diseases

IMU-838: New oral treatment option for Crohn’s disease

IMU-366: Potent and selective cytokine inhibitors for development in immune and autoimmune diseases

Planegg-Martinsried, Germany, September 28, 2016 – Immunic AG (Immunic), a recently formed private start-up biotech company in Planegg-Martinsried near Munich, Germany, today announced that it acquired 4SC AG’s (4SC, FSE Prime Standard: VSC) immunology portfolio, which includes two drug development programs and associated intellectual property and know-how. Immunic will continue all research and development activities for these drug development programs and 4SC will receive a one-time upfront payment as well as milestone payments and royalties.

“We are very pleased to successfully sell our non-core immunology assets to the very motivated and experienced team at Immunic. This transaction generates additional cash for 4SC and further demonstrates our commitment to focus 4SC on its core portfolio of epigenetic anti-cancer compounds, resminostat and 4SC-202”, comments Dr. Jason Loveridge, CEO of 4SC.

Dr. Manfred Gröppel, Immunic’s co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, says: “We are delighted that we are able to acquire several high-quality drug development programs with targets that have already been proven of high relevance in various immune and autoimmune diseases. Thus, Immunic is well positioned to soon become a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with two innovative development programs.”

Program IMU-366: Highly potent and selective cytokine inhibitors

The IMU-366 program comprises one lead compound and a family of orally available small molecule inhibitors of RORγt, a nuclear receptor known to influence the production of a wide range of cytokines (messenger molecules) involved in various immune or autoimmune diseases.

“RORγt is crucial for the development of the TH17 T cell subset (specialized immune cells) and for these cells to release their specific cytokines after activation”, explains Dr. Andreas Mühler, Immunic’s co-founder and Chief Medical Officer. “Unfortunately, an overreaction of TH17 immune cells often is an underlying mechanism of various diseases. In pre-clinical experiments the lead compound of the IMU-366 program demonstrated efficacy in various models of immune and autoimmune diseases. These data will allow Immunic to develop drug candidates with activity in a variety of diseases such as psoriasis.”

Program IMU-838: A new oral treatment option for Crohn’s disease

IMU-838 is an orally available, next-generation immune modulator. IMU-838 inhibits an enzyme called “dihydroorotate dehydrogenase” (DHODH) which plays a key role in the metabolism of activated T and B cells while leaving other immune cells largely unaffected and allows the immune system to stay functioning, e.g. in fighting infections.

“Despite the recent availability of new biologics to be injected intravenously or subcutaneously for the subset of patients with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease, there is still a large unmet medical need to find safe oral therapies for all types and forms of Crohn’s disease”, states Dr. Andreas Mühler. “Immunic currently plans to soon initiate phase I studies for IMU-838 in healthy volunteers followed by a phase II clinical trial program in patients suffering from Crohn’s disease.”

Immunic AG is a start-up biotech company founded in April 2016 and focused on the development of immune modulators to block TH17- and TH1-mediated immune and autoimmune responses. The company’s two development programs include orally available, small molecule inhibitors of DHODH (IMU-838 program) and RORγt (IMU-366 program) relevant to diseases such as Crohn’s disease and psoriasis. The final aim is to develop these drug candidates to clinical proof of concept. Immunic, with headquarters in Planegg-Martinsried near Munich, Germany, is privately held and supported by several renowned sector investors.

4SC AG is a biotech company dedicated to the research and development of small-molecule drugs focused on epigenetic mechanisms of action for the treatment of cancers with high unmet medical needs. These drugs are intended to provide innovative treatment options for cancer patients that are more tolerable and efficacious than existing therapies, provide a better quality of life and offer increased life expectancy. The Company’s pipeline comprises promising products that are in various stages of clinical development. 4SC’s aim is to generate future growth and enhance its enterprise value by entering into partnerships with pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Founded in 1997, 4SC had 50 employees as of 30 June 2016. 4SC has been listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since December 2005.